There have been so many excellent interpretations of Batman since the character’s conception in 1939. What may be my favorite, though, is the version of the Dark Knight that Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski created for the once-burgeoning DC Animated Universe. Voiced effortlessly by the late Kevin Conroy, this take on Bruce Wayne is incredibly three-dimensional and, on multiple occasions, he proved himself to be an absolute legend. On that note, we’re going to discuss more than 30 of his most defining moments.
Scarecrow’s Fear Toxin Is No Match For Batman’s Will
Batman: Animated Series’ “Nothing to Fear” sees the titular hero facing off with Scarecrow for the first time. During the episode, Batman finds himself impacted by the villain’s fear toxin and sees hallucinations. By the end, though, the Bat overcomes his fears naturally while confronting the straw-covered baddie. And it's during that confrontation that he utters the iconic line, “I am vengeance... I am the night... I am BATMAN!”
Batman Sits With Ace Until Her Death
A DCAU episode that really resonates with me (and likely other fans) is Justice League Unlimited’s “Epilogue.” The installment features a scene with the Bat, who’s been tasked with killing psychic Royal Flush Gang member Ace using a special weapon. Instead, the do-gooder spares her and sits with the terminally ill young lady until she dies. The decision is not just a testament to the Caped Crusader’s heroism but his propensity for compassion as well.
Batman Sings “Am I Blue?” To Save Wonder Woman
It’s hard to forget “This Little Piggy” from Justice League: Unlimited’s first season, which sees Wonder Woman transformed into a swine by the vengeful Circe. Batman leads the charge to save his teammate and, in the end, he’s forced to perform a rendition of “Am I Blue” to save Diana. Not only is he successful, but he also reveals his smooth vocals.
Bruce Wayne Fights Kyodai Ken By The Side Of A Volcano
On BTAS, Bruce Wayne has a couple of encounters with the devious Kyodai Ken, who he trained alongside as a student of Yoru. Their second run-in sees the two having a final battle on the volcanic Mount Kajiiki. Wayne emerges victorious, and Kyodai bows to him before seemingly dying amid a sea of lava.
Batman Convinces His Justice Lord Counterpart To Switch Allegiances
The vigilante and his fellow Justice Leaguers find themselves in a parallel universe in the two-parter “A Better World” (two of the best JL episodes). While he and the team are faced with dictator counterparts called the Justice Lords who want to invade their world, Batman manages to convince his variant to help his team escape. The OG Bat does so by questioning his doppelganger whether their parents would approve of his life choices.
Dr. Destiny Can’t Top The Dark Knight’s Mental Strength
Anyone who needs proof of Batman’s mental toughness merely needs to watch Justice League’s “Only A Dream.” In it, the team faces the dream-hopping Doctor Destiny, who manages to incapacitate most of the league. Yet Destiny is unable to enter the Bat’s mind, which provides an opening for the hero to trap the villain in his own dreams.
Batman Risks His Life To Steer A Missile Off Course
The monstrous Doomsday re-emerges in Justice League Unlimited’s “Doomsday Sanction,” leading Cadmus member General Eiling to launch a nuclear cruise missile with a Kryptonite warhead at the crime-ridden San Baquero. Batman ultimately uses a Javelin (aircraft) to latch onto the projectile and have it overshoot the island. The hero survives using an escape pod but is left injured.
Batman Dodges Darkseid’s Omega Beams
It’s hard to forget the sight of Batman avoiding the villainous Darkseid’s omega beams, which zig and zag until they hit their target. As noted by the ruler of Apokolips himself in JLU’s “Destroyer,” no one has ever done that, and Bats deserves credit not just for accomplishing it but also for making the Big Bad say “impressive.”
Bruce Wayne Easily Fights Off Jokerz In His 70s
Though he’s a senior citizen by the events of Batman Beyond (one of the best iterations of the character), Bruce Wayne is still a force to be reckoned with on the show. He proved that early on when teamed up with Terry McGinnis to take down members of the Jokerz gang when they trail him to Wayne’s property in the pilot, “Rebirth.” Don’t mess with a seasoned man with a cane.
Batman Cleverly Escapes Riddler’s Death Trap
One of the best BTAS villains, Riddler nearly ends Batman’s life in “Riddler’s Reform,” when he traps the crime fighter in a convention center with a bomb. In the end, the Bat escapes, despite there seemingly being no available exits. Sometime after taking out the criminal mastermind, Bruce reveals that he survived the blast by getting into a nearby safe. This is only made better by the fact that he doesn’t reveal the means of his escape to Riddler, who loudly questions it at Arkham Asylum.
Batman Taunts Rupert Thorne With A Weakened Bane
Want to talk about a serious flex? In the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Bane,” the tough hero not only beats the imposing assassin but saves him from a venom overload as well. Bats then takes the de-powered man to his employer, Rupert Thorne, and asks for a better challenge, before alerting Thorne to his secretary and Bane’s plan to kill him.
The Injustice League Is Fooled By Batman
In the Justice League story “Injustice for All,” the World’s Greatest Detective is captured by the Injustice League. However, he eventually escapes by making a deal with the Ultra-Humanite and frames Cheetah for the betrayal.
Batman Fools Four Of His Greatest Enemies While In Disguise
“Almost Got ‘Im” is one of the greatest BTAS episodes – and for good reason. In it, several of Batman’s greatest foes recall instances in which they nearly bested him. The twist ending, though, involves Batman revealing himself to be disguised as bad guy Killer Croc in order to get information as part of a police sting operation. It’s a satisfying installment, with an excellent conclusion.
Superman Is Chastised By Batman For Hesitating To Help Darkseid
Not too many people can chew out the Man of Steel, but that’s exactly what Gotham’s top hero does when Darkseid approaches the Justice League for help defending Apokolips from Brainiac in “Twilight.” After laying out the ways in which the villain has hurt Supes, the Bat tells him to “get over it” and to cry him a river.
Batman De-Orbits The Watchtower To Prevent The Thanagarian Invasion
The Justice League series finale “Starcrossed” sees the team trying to defend the Earth from a Thanagarian invasion, which involves a wormhole projector called the Hyperspace Bypass Generator. Ultimately, the group decides to destroy it with the Watchtower, and Batman surprises his teammates by risking his life manually steering the base into the device.
Batman Trolls Amanda Waller While Defending Long Shadow
Cadmus’ Amanda Waller doesn’t take guff from anyone, though Batman one-ups her from time to time. When she and her gun-toting comrades try to take dying Ultimen member Long Shadow into their custody in JLU’s “Ultimatum,” Bats, Superman and Aquaman shield the young man. Waller and co. back down after the Batman cheekily says, “mine are bigger than yours.”
Batman Interrogates A Burglar And Throws Him For A Loop
After three burglars break into S.T.A.R. Labs in Justice League’s “Maid of Honor,” Batman captures one of them for interrogation. The Kaznian thief derides the hero in his native tongue, saying that Leaguer can’t understand him and won’t get the info he seeks. However, after the spiel, Bats shocks the crook by speaking the language and saying, “I can and you will…”
Bruce Wayne Risks His Life To Help Terry McGinnis Take Down Inque
It’s explained in “Disappearing Inque” – a Batman Beyond episode – that shortly before his retirement from crime-fighting, Bruce Wayne developed an exosuit to increase his endurance and strength as he aged. Said armor took a toll on his heart, but Bruce ended up breaking it out again – and risking his health – to help protégé Terry defeat the shapeshifting Inque.
Batman Fights His Way Out Of The Mad Hatter’s Simulation
“Perchance to Dream” is one of the greatest BTAS installments and sees Bruce Wayne waking up in a perfect reality, where his parents are even still alive. Wayne eventually realizes it’s not real and uses his mental strength to fight (and even take down a hallucination of Batman) in order to escape a device created by the Mad Hatter.
A Blind Batman Defeats The Penguin
The Dark Knight’s been in a number of precarious situations and, in Batman: The Animated Series’ “Blind as a Bat,” he finds himself temporarily blinded. While he later makes use of a sensor aid, the headpiece is unintentionally powered down during his battle with Penguin. Yet the blind vigilante bests the monocle-wearing gangster using a water valve and a steam-filled room.
Bruce Wayne Snaps Terry McGinnis Out Of Spellbinder’s Trance
Spellbinder, a villain who specializes in mind control, takes control of several Neo-Gotham citizens, including Terry McGinnis on Batman Beyond’s “Spellbound.” The crafty antagonist makes Terry hallucinate that he’s participating in a shopping spree as part of a game show, when he’s really stealing from Wayne Manor. After Bruce finds and tries to stop him, McGinnis puts up a fight, but Bruce quickly trips him to break the trance.
The Immortal Ra's al Ghul Is Defeated By Batman
“The Demon Reborn” marks the first appearance of Ra's al Ghul on BTAS, and the two-part story culminates in the immortal warrior having a swordfight with Batman over a Lazarus Pit. After the Bat throws his sword to damage Ra’s bomb countdown device, the latter lunges at the hero and loses his balance. While the hero tries to help him, Ra’s realizes he has no way out and throws himself into the pit.
Batman Delivers A Sweet Tribute To Superman
“Hereafter” is one of the most compelling tales ever told by Justice League, as it centers around Superman’s supposed death at the hands of some of his greatest enemies. While the proud Batman refuses to believe his comrade was incinerated, he later swallows his pride and visits a memorial set up for the Man of Steel. It's there that he delivers a tribute that aptly sums up his relationship with Supes.
Batman Confirms He Knows Flash’s Secret Identity While Revealing His Own
The Justice League is forced to contend with a Thanagarian invasion in the series finale, “Starcrossed” and must go underground, donning civilian clothing in the process. The Flash objects to his “secret identity” being revealed. However, Batman interjects, revealing he’s known Flash is Wally West – and divulging his own identity as well as Superman’s to the team. This speaks to the Bat’s detective skills and willingness to do what’s necessary in a crisis.
Future Bruce Wayne Shows His Younger Counterpart How To Interrogate Someone
JLU’s “The Once and Future Thing Part Two: Time, Warped” is the second half of a fun time travel story and, among its surprises are the return of Terry McGinnis and the future Bruce Wayne. The latter still maintains his voracity, as proven when he tells his younger predecessor to step aside so that he can show him how to interrogate Jokerz member Ghoul. That’s right – Batman actually taught Batman something.
Batman Proves Himself To Be A Loyal Friend To Harvey Dent
Before Harvey Dent became Two-Face, he and Bruce Wayne were good friends. So, in the BTAS episode “Second Chance,” Batman oversees Harvey’s transportation to a hospital for an operation that may heal his face. While Batman does what he can to save Harvey from his less savory side, the surgery doesn’t happen, but the sheer compassion he shows for his former friend until the end is commendable.
Batman Shows Arnold Stromwell The Error Of His Ways
“It’s Never Too Late” sees Batman trying to convince aging mobster Arnold Stromwell to change his ways. He ultimately does so by taking Stromwell to his old neighborhood and a rehabilitation center, where Arnold’s son is dealing with drug withdrawal. This appeal represents one of the finest moments in BTAS.
Harley Quinn’s Dress Is Recovered By Batman
Harley Quinn is declared sane and released from Arkham Asylum in Batman: The Animated Series’ “Harley’s Holiday.” Early on, Harley covets a dress in a department store, but chaos erupts, leading to a wild adventure. In the end, Quinn is returned to Arkham by Batman and Robin, but the former still compassionately presents her with the dress she wanted – after which Quinn kisses the Caped Crusader.
Batman Intimidates Deadshot After His Teammates Couldn’t
It goes without saying that Batman can strike the fear of God into someone, and he intimidates assassin Deadshot after he tries to kill Aquaman in the JL installment “The Enemy Below.” That’s impressive enough but is even more so due to the fact that Superman and others couldn’t even unnerve the criminal.
Batman Saves Girl From Burning Building (With Some Help)
Batman ventures into a burning tenement complex to save a young girl named Trina, who is recovered by the vigilante. However, when the fire spreads, their possible exits are destroyed, though Hawkgirl ultimately gets them both out. Despite that, this incident speaks to (the non-powered) Batman’s sheer heroism.
Future Bruce Wayne Manages To Take Down A Mutated Terry McGinnis
“Splicers” involves the devious Dr. Cuvier uses the process of splicing – mixing human and animal DNA – on teens. While investigating Cuvier, Terry McGinnis of Batman Beyond ends up injected with vampire bat DNA and mutates. The Man-Bat-esque Terry arrives at the Batcave, where Bruce is preparing an antidote and, following a scuffle the elderly Wayne cures his predecessor.
Bruce Wayne Comforts Young Dick Grayson
Batman: The Animated Series won a Primetime Emmy for “Robin’s Reckoning, Part 1” and for good reason. It establishes the origins of Robin in the DCAU and features a flashback in which Bruce Wayne relates with his newly fostered son, Dick Grayson, over the shared grief of losing their parents. It’s an emotionally powerful scene and one that exemplifies how Wayne manages to connect to young people.
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